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Restoring Honor Rally

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How Many Crossroads Must a Man Walk Down?

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on August 30, 2010 - 1:03pm

One of the most frequently used rhetorical images at Glenn Beck’s "Restoring Honor" event was the crossroads. Attendees were told urgently and repeatedly by Beck and others that America is at a crossroads, that everyone has to make a big, historic, important decision to save America – right now! Do it!

But since this was Beck’s “non-political” event, he couldn’t say the big choice or big crossroads had anything to do with the 2010 or 2012 elections, on which Tea Party activists are intensely focused.
He said his rally was not about politics but God, about “turning back to the values and principles that made us great.” He told people how to pray and how much money to give to their churches. And he demanded they make that big choice, whatever it is.
 
Here are just a few of the very many crossroads to which Beck led his followers. None of them seem likely to be clear or focused enough to spark the national transformation Beck promised from this rally:
 
“America is at a crossroads and we must decide.  Are those words that Abraham Lincoln spoke and they have no relevance or meaning on us today?”
 
“America is at a crossroads and today we must decide who we are, what is it we believe. We must advance or perish. I choose advance.”
 
“America is at a crossroads and there is a clear and simple choice. Do we choose to just look at the scars, do we choose to look back, or do we do what every great generation has done in America in times of trouble: look ahead, dream about what we’re going to become, not worried about what we are, look forward, look west, look to the heavens, look to God, and make your choice.”
 
“My challenge to you today is to make a choice. Does America go forward and the American experience expands, or does the experiment fail with us?”
 
Beck repeatedly urged everyone in the crowd to “grab your stick,” a reference to his earlier description of Moses as “a guy with a stick.”   With all due respect, Glenn, Moses gave his people clearer instructions.
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Southern Baptist Leader Calls Beck Rally a "Scandal" Driven by the Spirit of the Antichrist

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on August 30, 2010 - 12:33pm

Russell Moore is Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and he does not approve of all those self-proclaimed Christians who are disgracing their faith by aligning themselves with the false and dangerous teachings of a Mormon like Glenn Beck: 

A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they've heard the gospel, right there in the nation's capital.

The news media pronounces him the new leader of America's Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America's Christian conservatives have no problem with that.

If you'd told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it's not. It's from this week's headlines. And it is a scandal.

...

To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.

Mormonism and Mammonism are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They offer another Lord Jesus than the One offered in the Scriptures and Christian tradition, and another way to approach him. An embrace of these tragic new vehicles for the old Gnostic heresy is unloving to our Mormon friends and secularist neighbors, and to the rest of the watching world. Any "revival" that is possible without the Lord Jesus Christ is a "revival" of a different kind of spirit than the Spirit of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3).

For the record, in citing 1 John 4:1-3, Moore is saying that Beck's effort to unleash revival in America is operating under the spirit of the Antichrist: 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

I guess I should also point out that Moore's piece was posted on the American Family Association's OneNewNow website, so it seems as if the AFA is not particularly comfortable with Beck's Mormonism either.

UPDATE: I see that Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has Tweeted his support for Moore's article.

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Religion and Politics at Beck's Nonpolitical Event

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on August 30, 2010 - 12:21pm

It may seem too obvious to be said, but let’s say it. Beck’s claim that his event was nonpolitical doesn’t pass the smell test, the laugh test, or any other test. He picked Sarah Palin to speak just because she’s a military mom, not because she’s the darling of the Tea Party movement, right? 

Alveda King, who invoked “Uncle Martin” repeatedly with her own “I have a dream” speech (let’s just say his version’s place in history is secure), used her remarks to press two of her major political projects, criminalizing abortion and denying equality to gay and lesbian Americans, decrying that “the procreative foundation of marriage is being threatened, and the wombs of our mothers have become places where the blood of our children is shed in a womb war that threatens the fabric of our society.” King said we will know we have arrived “when prayer is once again welcomed in the public squares of America and in our schools,” which is standard Religious Right rhetoric. 

Beck says God led him away from a political message to a focus on faith, hope, and charity. Beck’s faith award went to Pastor C.L. Jackson, whose long ministry as a preacher is only part of his record. Jackson is also a Republican Party activist. A Texas Freedom Network report described him as “Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s point man in drawing African-American voters in Houston.” In 2004, Jackson bragged to Tavis Smiley about having helped deliver those votes to Perry and pledged to do the same for George W. Bush in Louisiana, Alabama, and Ohio. Among the reasons he cited were “family values” and same-sex marriage. In June of that year, Jackson hosted a Juneteenth celebration featuring Perry and David Barton, whose Christian-nation view of history is getting a huge new audience thanks to Beck. 
 
Jackson’s praise for Beck was remarkable. He called him “servant of God, son of God, Glenn Beck,” and said “God sent his son to this earth so that we could all gather, and I think that’s the dream and the vision of Glenn Beck.” He seemingly compared Beck to Jesus when, telling the story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet , he urged the audience to “pray, give the best you have for a young man named Glenn Beck.”
 
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, reportedly a pal of Karl Rove and Tom Delay, is another strange choice for a non-political event.  (His record of funneling money through his nonprofit foundation to aid his buddy Abramoff may also make him an odd choice for an event devoted to honor.) Lapin, long the Religious Right’s favorite rabbi, was on stage at both the Friday night “Divine Destiny” event and along with a small group of other religious figure, helping to give the event a veneer of religious pluralism.
 
In the clumsiest effort to give a nod to religious pluralism, a speaker at Renewing Honor followed a song promoting unity by saying, “we are Americans and we stand together, black, white, Jew, Gentile, together in unity as one strong group of people, Americans today in the name of Christ.”
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Mixed Reactions to Beck's Religious Rally

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on August 30, 2010 - 9:13am

I spent the weekend trying a sense of just how the Religious Right is responding to Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally, but haven't seen any sort of dominant narrative emerge.  Instead, it has mostly been a mish-mash of vague statements and generalities. 

Jim Garlow asserted that the theme of the weekend's events was quite obvious: a call to decency and a return to God:

For starters, a call to decency reigned. Not some bland, gray, boring form of mundane living, but rather the centuries-old respectable virtues that gave us the America we now enjoy.

Sometime around 1960, morals jumped off the bridge without first attaching the bungee cord. The result is a nation with everything from devastated families, drug- and crime-infested communities to a hedonistically driven national debt.

...

America, by margins of 70 percent to 80 percent believe in the values that made us, whether it be in maintaining “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance or “In God We Trust” on our coins. Americans have grown weary of the oligarchic cultural elite oppressing the masses.

To discerning persons, the rally was not about Glenn Beck. It was not about Sarah Palin. This rally was about freedom, honor, our American heritage, and sacrifice. And foundationally, it was about God.

But the best Deacon Keith Fournier could come up with was to blast the media while claiming that those who attended the event left with hope and encouragement:

Clearly, Glenn Beck's dreams for a Rally which could "restart the heart of America" exceeded all expectations. Even the Press, which for days leading up to the event had minimized, mocked and trivialized the event, immediately began to acknowledge its massive size and possible significance. Then, they quickly regrouped and the punditry began all over again. I imagine the implications of the event will be fodder for much pontificating for weeks. However, any honest reporter must admit that this was clearly an historic event.

The people who gathered in the Capitol on August 28, 2010, from all over the Nation and representing a wide cross section of the people of the United States of America, left filled with hope, encouraged and challenged to serve and participate.That can only be good for what ails this Nation.

For his part Ralph Reed responded by accusing the media of missing the point about the rally by focusing on Beck's Mormon faith:

The evangelicals participating in the Restore Honor event are not endorsing Glenn Beck’s theology, nor is he asking them to; they are joining in his clarion call to restore America’s honor and founding principles. Together, we and millions of our fellow citizens are calling America back to its Judeo-Christian values of faith, hard work, individual initiative, the centrality of marriage and family, hope, charity, and relying on God and civic and faith-based organizations rather than government for our security and prosperity.

We have always partnered with those with whom we had theological differences: the Jewish community in defending the state of Israel, Roman Catholics in defending life, Mormons in defending marriage. The media can’t have it both ways. Either evangelicals are theologically narrow and judgmental, or they are just as politically sophisticated and mature and capable of building coalitions with 80% friends who they do not view as 20% enemies. It seems they get criticized no matter what they do.

Of course, one of the reasons the media is asking questions about the pairing of evangelical leaders with Beck is because people on the right keep making a big deal about it:

Glenn Beck promotes a false gospel. However, many of his political ideas can help America.

Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. Mormonism is not a Christian denomination but a cult of Christianity.

The country needs to get back to the simplicity of the Bible. The reason our country is in bad shape is that ministers for the most part do not share the truth. Many endorse false gospels including Mormonism.

In fact, I think this "Prayer Point" in Faith 2 Action's latest email pretty much sums up the tension among the Religious Right between wanting to be a part of Beck's new religious crusade while worrying that Christians are being misled by Beck's faith:

Pray for all those involved in the large rally being held at the Lincoln Memorial tomorrow. Pray that many will learn about our nation's true heritage and that no one will be deceived into joining the Mormons. Pray that Glenn Beck will leave Mormonism and come to true salvation in Christ.

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Beck's Big (Yawn) Event, #1

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on August 28, 2010 - 2:21pm

The Glenn Beck fans on my subway car after today’s rally were a subdued bunch.  They didn’t seem energized by having spent time with their idol and many thousands of fellow fans. Why not?

“It was kind of boring,” said one. “It wasn’t what I expected,” said another. “It was good,” one said with an unenthusiastic shrug. “He had some good speakers.” One recalled someone sitting near them grumbling, “I didn’t come all this way for an awards ceremony.”
 
Not the reaction you’re going for when you’ve declared your intention of fundamentally transforming the country and sparking a Great Awakening that will turn the country back to God.
 
It wouldn’t be surprising if a lot of attendees at today’s rally feel like victims of a bait and switch. Beck built a huge fan base with over-the-top attacks on President Obama – he hates white people, he’s a communist-socialist-Nazi – denunciations of “social justice” Christians, and hard-hitting appeals to the anti-government Tea Party brigades to save America from all the evil villains who are trying to destroy it from within.  There are a lot of people in America who love Beck because they believe he is telling them these hard truths that nobody else has the guts to tell them.  They were the folks with the “Don’t Tread on me” and “Taking our Country Back” T-shirts. But today Beck was preaching love and unity. We’re all Americans aren’t we?
 
Somewhere along the line, Beck says he had a change of heart. He decided the rally would not be about politics at all, but about God.   There was a sort of confused silence among my corner of the crowd when he explained this.  And it didn’t help that his performance technique of dramatically lowering his voice, which works fine on TV, meant that a lot of folks simply couldn’t hear a lot of what he had to say.
 
After the rally, people I spoke with did not feel that they had been given any clear marching orders in spite of Beck’s long and repetitive speech telling people that America is at a crossroads and they had to stand up! But stand up for what exactly?
 
In fact, a lot of speakers insisted we as a nation are at a crucial crossroads, but nobody ever explained exactly what it was. Given Beck’s decision to portray this as a non-political event honoring veterans and the civilians who received his new faith, hope, and charity awards, the speeches about the crossroads never led to a hard hitting political conversation. So people were exhorted to go to church, get right with God, and stand up for truth. They need Glenn Beck to tell them this? 
 
Of course, we’re not buying that the event was as non-political as Beck portrayed. In a future post we’ll take a look at Glenn’s remarks (I’ve learned his fans call him by his first name) and the other speakers.
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Glenn Beck and God are ready to rock

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on August 28, 2010 - 12:41am

Right Wing Watch has been watching the recent morphing of Glenn Beck from political hatchet man into messianic religious figure. That self-transformation continued at America’s Divine Destiny, the Friday night warm-up to Beck’s Lincoln Memorial rally. The three-hour program at the Kennedy Center for the Arts combined gospel music, patriotic songs, and speeches about the need for spiritual renewal in America.

It is impossible to overstate Beck’s assessment of the importance of his events. Toward the beginning of Divine Destiny, he stated , “this is the beginning of the end of darkness. We have been in darkness a long time.”  Saturday’s rally, he said, would be a “defibrillator to the spiritual heart of America.” Near the end of the program, he emphatically declared, “We are 12 hours away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America. It has nothing to do with this city or politics, it has everything to do with God Almighty.”
 
Beck’s co-host for the evening event was David Barton, the Religious Right “historian” who has
made a career promoting his theory that America was founded as a “Christian nation.” Beck is clearly enamored of Barton, having recently called him “the most important man in America.” Beck introduced Barton to the Divine Destiny audience as “the best man I know.”
 
Barton’s primary role at tonight’s event was to tell stories and wave copies of old books and sermons to make the case that the nation’s founding documents were cribbed from Christian sermons, and that Jewish and Christian leaders have since the nation’s founding banded together to fight those who would secularize America.   Barton referred to the conflict with the Barbary pirates in the early 19th century as the first time “we had Muslims targeting us.”
 
For anyone who has followed Barton’s long career as a propagandist for the Republican Party in Texas and nationally, his Christian nation rhetoric was no surprise. But it was nothing short of breathtaking to hear Barton repeating “that’s right” when Beck said that “religion and politics must not mix.” 
 
Beck asserted more than once that the weekend was not a political event, no matter what his cynical critics said. That assertion is laughable given the relentlessly political nature of his television show and Barton’s entire career, not to mention Beck’s reliance on the Tea Party movement to turn out attendees for his rally.   Among the other speakers was Rabbi Daniel Lapin, a fixture at Religious Right political events, and college professor Dr. Patrick Lee, who argued that America has no right to alter the “objective” definition of marriage.
 
The closing prayer was given by Pastor John Hagee, whose accepted-and-then-rejected endorsement of John McCain became an embarrassment to the candidate in 2008. Among the nation’s sins for which Hagee asked forgivness was that “under the banner of pluralism we have embraced and worshipped the gods of this world.” Hagee said that scripture commands us to pray for the nation’s leaders, and he prayed that God would lead us “out of this politically correct moral fog” and back to the righteousness of our forefathers by lifting up godly leaders and removing the not-so-godly from office. A fitting send-off for this completely non-political event.
 
 
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Why Alveda King Is Perfect For Glenn Beck's Rally

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on August 27, 2010 - 11:11am

Yesterday I wrote a post noting that Alveda King is claiming that her anti-gay, anti-choice activism is the true legacy of her uncle Martin Luther King's "I Have a Bream" legacy ... but I didn't realize the true extent to which King believes that she alone represents MLK's legacy.

That is something I discovered, along with lots of other interesting things, from this Daniel Denvir profile King in Salon today:

King’s academic credentials have also raised eyebrows. She is regularly referred to as "Dr. Alveda King" in promotional material, although her doctorate is an honorary one, bestowed by St. Anselm College, a Catholic school in Manchester, N.H. And she could not recall why she was awarded the honorary degree.

"I guess for my stand on the support of marriage, and family, and education, and life."

...

In the late 1970s, King was elected to the Georgia state Legislature, where she served two terms as a Democrat -- a period she is not eager to recount.

"I’m not involved in politics anymore," she insisted. "Make sure you note that."

By the mid-1980s, King left office and began work on a romance novel, "Arab Heart." A few years later, she filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures, charging that Eddie Murphy stole her plot for his 1988 comedy "Coming to America."

"I gave the manuscript to be read by Eddie Murphy, and he decided to take that and cut me out," she said. "But that’s what happens in the industry."

In 1994, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against King, finding that her self-described "historical tale of romance and adventure" did not have "substantial similarity" to the film, noting that the former was a "serious work with few lighter overtones, whereas 'Coming to America' is a quintessential light romantic comedy."

...

King, who until recently went by Alveda Beal King, has political commitments born of a difficult personal life. She frequently describes the formative role played by her divorces and two abortions, holding tight to her family name even as she became estranged from family.

In 1994, she released a letter condemning Coretta Scott King’s support for abortion and gay rights, saying it would bring "curses on your house and your people...cursing, vexation, rebuke in all that you put your hand to, sickness will come to you and your house, your bloodline will be cut off."

...

Alveda is dismissive of her aunt, who died in 2006, saying, "I've got his DNA. She doesn't, she didn't...Therefore I know something about him. I'm made out of the same stuff."

On a related note, CNSNews.com ran an article today looking at King's claims that her uncle was anti-choice, noting that he had once accepted an award from Planned Parenthood. Of course, King dismisses this fact entirely:

He pointed out that Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, awarded the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. its Margaret Sanger Award in 1966, and it highlights King's acceptance of that award on the organization’s Web site.

But Alveda King told CNSNews.com that the award does not prove her uncle supported abortion, and pointed out that Dr. King did not even attend the award ceremony.

“Mrs. Coretta Scott King knew that her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was pro-life,” she said. “Mrs. Coretta King, who was pro-abortion, took and did read the (acceptance) speech, and accepted on behalf of her husband.”

In her analysis of the acceptance speech, Alveda King concluded -- based on the words spoken by Dr. King in his lifetime -- that the speech, and a subsequent letter thanking Planned Parenthood for the award, were not written by Dr. King.

“He did not write the speech. He did not deliver the speech,” she said. “There was a thank-you letter with what appears to be his signature on it, but he had other people who signed his letters in his office, so you can’t even really say he signed it.”

Basically, Alveda King has been cut off from the King family because she has made a career out of trading on the King name while peddling views that are diametrically opposed to those held by Martin Luther King Jr ... and so it only makes sense that Glenn Beck has tapped her to speak at his rally being held on the anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech as Beck tries to claim King's mantle for himself.

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Garlow: Beck May Be a Mormon, But He's Being "Used By God' To Save America

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on August 27, 2010 - 9:37am

Earlier this week we noted how Glenn Beck's Mormon faith was becoming an area of concern for some on the Religious Right, especially in light of the fact that Beck seems to be making a transition from Tea Party leader to religious leader.

These sorts of concerns had prompted Davd Barton to write a defense of Beck, saying that Beck must be judged by his works and not by his lable and that, by that standard, he is a better "Christain" than the likes of Bill Clinton or Nancy Pelosi.

Now Jim Garlow, who has been a guest on Beck's program and will also be attending Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally, penned a lengthy piece defending Beck and explaining that evangelicals worked hand-in-hand with Mormons during the Prop 8 fight after they agreed never bring up their faith:

Several months before the election, three officials from the Mormon Church came to my office. The meeting was cordial, respectful and warm. We discussed ways to work along side each other in this battle.

Most of us are familiar with the term “co-belligerency,” which means that people with diametrically opposing views on certain critical issues work together. It was in that role that we came together.

Towards the very end of the meeting, I was just ready to bring up a critical issue: the insistence of Mormons to proselytize and argue theology. Before I could bring up the obvious “elephant in the room,” the highest ranking Mormon official present – a member of the Council of the Seventy – said (as nearly as I am able to re-construct the conversation), “Allow me to broach a topic that is likely on your mind. You will be concerned that our people will bring up discussions regarding their Mormon beliefs. I want to assure you that they will not bring up that topic in conversation.”

I was surprised at his directness, thus I said, “Can I have your word on that?” He responded, “You can.” I asked, “Even though you are over the Pacific Rim (approx. 1/3 of the world) in the Mormon Church, may I have your cell number and call you personally if I become aware of any violation of the promise?” He responded, “You can,” and gave me his cell phone number.

I never called it. Not once. Because I never heard of one single violation. On our first weekend of knocking on doors across California, 25,000 persons showed up to work. Twenty four thousand of them were Mormons. They worked. They worked hard. They never brought up their faith. Not once. A letter had been sent instructing them to discuss only the defense of marriage – and they honored that policy.

Based on that experience, Garlow has come to see Mormons "not theological brothers and sisters, [but as] friends and neighbors" with whom evangelicals can work on issues of concern to both groups. 

Garlow says that he has had some direct contact with Beck and knows others who have had much more and, as such, is comfortable that Beck is reliable, trustworthy, and sincere ... though he does have some concerns:

But what about Glenn’s Mormonism, many ask? That is a legitimate question. Glenn was raised, as I understand it, as a Catholic. He became a heavy drinker, destroying everything in his life. It was the Mormons that got him into the equivalent of a 12-step program. His life was turned around. His wife, as I understand it, is a strong Mormon. My personal read-out would be that Glenn’s Mormon ties are not profoundly deep rooted. I am not saying that to denigrate his theological understanding. I simply do not see evidence that he has deep Mormon theological motifs.

But didn’t he talk about some Hebrew stone tablet on his show recently? Yes. Frankly, I am not sure why he did it. It appeared for a moment that he might be – for the first time – pushing his Mormonism. But in further conversation with those I regard to be “in the know,” that was apparently not the case.

Two statements by Beck have caused serious Bible believers serious heartburn. One was on an interview – I believe with Katie Couric – and the other was recently on the Bill O’Reilly show. In both cases, Glenn trivialized the dangers and harm of gay “marriage.” Some defend him, saying he was merely saying that that issue is not his personal focus.

I am not certain how to interpret this one. I was on his show a couple months ago. He specifically asked Robby George (Princeton professor) to tell the audience about the Manhattan Declaration – which strongly affirms traditional, natural marriage. He then changed the conversation to the violence against those that defended Prop 8 in California. At that point, I spoke up, referencing the acts of violence and vandalism committed by those trying to advance the radical gay agenda.

I do not have an explanation for his comments on Bill O’Reilly. I need to know more of the background. It was, most assuredly, not his strongest moment. He may be in need of much more biblical truth and social science data.

But despite these sort of concerns about Beck's recent comments and his faith, Garlow says he is happy to stand by Beck becuase he is being "used by God" to save America:

Glenn Beck is being used by God – mightily. The left loves to slam him and do so viscerally and often with vulgarities. Glenn is not perfect. (For the record, neither are you or I.) But his expose on America’s sins is stellar. I am convinced his motives are pure. His research department is profoundly skilled, checking footnotes down to the last detail. The left cannot “get” him – at least, not at this point. They have tried. Since they have no truth, and history is not on their side, they resort constantly to ad hominem attacks. He has withstood staggering scrutiny, disdain and attacks.

Based on all I know about him, I am proud to stand with him at the Restoring Honor Rally this weekend. Glenn does not see that this about him, because it is not. It is about Restoring Honor. That is the issue. It is much bigger than Glenn Beck and he knows it. And God knows, we need it.

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Glenn Beck's Divine Destiny a Hot Ticket

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on August 27, 2010 - 7:08am

At 6 a.m. this morning, four hours before tickets were scheduled to be given away for the Friday night warmup to Glenn Beck’s Saturday rally on the National Mall, hundreds of his fans lined up against the wall of the Kennedy Center even after being told there were no tickets available.  Some milled around a pickup truck emblazoned with American flags and the exhortation, “Save an American, Kill a Terrorist.” (You can get your own T-shirt at www.AlwaysRemember912.com.]

Kennedy Center security guards met new arrivals with flyers from Mercury Radio Arts - the event’s producer – giving a website where people can watch a live stream of the event.  Some people decided to wait anyway.  Some didn’t trust the flyer .  One suggested it might have been a dirty trick by Huffington Post.  Some just hoped they’d be rewarded somehow for being steadfast.

At about 6:40, Mercury Radio Arts spokesman L.J. Herman told the crowd there really were no tickets.  He explained that 1500 people had lined up by 8:30 last night, meaning that all the tickets were already spoken for.  Rather than making people wait all night, event organizers decided to give out the tickets then.  Some of the morning arrivals were understanding and philosophical, and even saw the decision as evidence of Beck’s benevolence; others were frustrated that they had dragged themselves out of bed so early even though the tickets were long gone.  Herman said an alert had been posted to GlennBeck.com last night.

Betty Ring, who traveled from Romanville, PA, worked the line, urging people not to be mad at Beck. Ring said she arrived at 10 last night, too late for tickets, but spent the night outside anyway as she had no hotel room.  She encouraged people to come back to the Kennedy Center tonight for an unofficial prayer rally outside while Divine Destiny was happening inside.  Ring claimed that Beck had been told by Kennedy Center officials that he could not pray inside, and that in response they will pray all night.  Herman made it clear the MRA had nothing to do with the “organic” plan for the outside rally, which has no permits, and which might not be welcomed by Kennedy Center security, which was already working the building with dogs this morning.  

After the crowd was asked to disperse, most people wandered off, while others lingered over their coffee, speculating among themselves with wonder just how massive the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial will be.

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All For the Glory of Glenn Beck

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on August 24, 2010 - 2:30pm

Politico has a long article about conservatives' concerns about whether Glenn Beck's upcoming rally, and his activism in general, is dedicated to advance conservative ideas or just about advancing Glenn Beck. 

As if there is even a question.

But I wanted to highlight this one section: 

At the request of Beck’s team, which lacked the organizational infrastructure or logistical know-how to pull off Saturday’s march, asked for assistance, Tea Party Patriots agreed to help promote the march among its 500,000 email subscribers and to provide 400 volunteers to staff it, a requirement before the National Park Service would issue a permit.

So Beck asked Tea Party activists for help in organizing and staffing the event but insists that this is not a Tea Party/political event, but rather a solemn religious assembly:

It won’t feel like a Tea Party event. I told people “leave your signs at home.” You will feel the difference, I think, when you first walk out on the mall. I’ve put this at the Lincoln Memorial for a reason. That’s a sacred spot. This isn’t a "rah rah USA!" kind of thing. This is a sacred reflective spot in our nation, you know, the Reflecting Pool. That was done for a reason. I think if you stand between Lincoln and Washington, spiritually, mentally, morally, we will heal our country. I am putting people between Washington and Lincoln physically to try and give them the understanding that these two giants were men just like them. They were American citizens who just did the hard thing, and sometimes doing the hard thing is just doing the right thing. Or more importantly, when nobody notices. And so this is really just to go back to the founding principles.

If you have any doubt that Beck's egomania is rapidly spinning out of control, you really ought to read the entire interview he gave to Townhall in which he repeatedly insists that "there is a revolution coming" and that his 8-28 rally is going to, literally, transform the nation because he, just like the Founding Fathers, is "divinely inspired":

I believe this is the battle between good and evil. If you look at those who live under Shariah law in Iran, the ideas are just more extreme there. It is a clash of people that are rulers, who say they know better and they will force people to do whatever it is and they will destroy those who disagree with them. On a much lesser degree, that’s where we are headed and where it finally ends I don’t know, but is the same root of the same tree of evil. We are battling the oldest battle known to man and it is a spiritual battle that must be won inside of ourselves first.

I learned this from studying the years of 1740-1776, there was an awakening, then an enlightenment, then freedom. If we don’t wake up to the truth of God and the spirit, we are toast.

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